Multiphase Cutting

ABSTRACT

Multiphase Cutting may comprise a bulk removal pass followed by a fine removal pass to cut a gemstone. For example, multiphase cutting may perform a removal by removing approximately 90% of material during a first pass and then reset and remove the remaining 10% of material during a second pass. The second pass may use a slower feed rate and a wider oscillation, moving the gemstone across an entire range of a lap wheel. This split setup may thus produce significantly more accurate results for the accuracy of the total removal.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to multiphase cutting.

BACKGROUND

How a gemstone is cut may have a significant effect on its resulting quality. Once a particular cut is selected, appropriate facets may be determined. A rough stone is often then attached to a dop stick and pressed against a lap wheel until the desired facet is cut.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide a basic understanding to the reader. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure, nor does it identify key or critical elements of the claimed subject matter or define its scope. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts disclosed in a simplified form as a precursor to the more detailed description that is later presented.

The instant application discloses, among other things, multiphase cutting. In one embodiment, it may comprise phase cutting a facet on a gemstone in two or more phases. For example, a cutting pass may be broken down into two separate passes, greatly increasing accuracy of material removal and edges of facets of the stone. Multiphase cutting may comprise a bulk removal pass followed by a finer removal pass to complete the cutting. For example, a standard gem cutting process for removing 100 microns of material may comprise cutting until the 100 microns have been removed. By contrast, Multiphase Cutting may split the same 100-micron removal into an approximately 90%/10% split. For example, during a first pass, it may remove 90 microns of material. During a second pass, a finer lap wheel may be used to remove the remaining 10 microns of material. The second phase may use a slower feed rate, and may use a wider oscillation or swing, so that the stone may be moved completely in and out of the lap. This may provide consistent stone dimensions despite lap wheel irregularities. Multiphase cutting may provide more accurate results because the excess material removed from the 90 microns may be cleared, and the remaining 10 microns may produce less stress on the underlying gem. Thus, there may be less flexing or warping during the fine pass removal. This process may produce significantly more accurate results of the total 100-micron removal, for example, which may provide a better gemstone.

Many of the attendant features may be more readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description considered in connection with the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram illustrating a system capable of supporting multiphase cutting according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a gemstone cut by a multiphase cutting system according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a Multiphase Cutting process according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram illustrating a system capable of supporting Multiphase Cutting according to one embodiment. Rough Stone 100 may be attached to Dop Stick 110. Controller 130 may move Dop Stick 110 in such In this example, a first cutting pass may take out approximately 90% of the bulk of the material using typical cutting parameters. A second pass may use a feed rate one-tenth to one-fifth as fast, and may use a much wider oscillation (swing) distance with the stone getting completely in and out of lap. This may produce consistent stone dimensions despite lap wheel irregularities, for example. Each facet may be smoother and be more accurate in size and angle, which may improve the optical attributes of the stone.

FIG. 2 illustrates a Gemstone 100 cut by a Multiphase Cutting system according to one embodiment. Rough Stone 100 may be cut during a first cutting pass, using conventional techniques, until it provides Initial Cut 210. Intermediate Stone 210 may be roughly in the shape of a desired Gemstone 220 cut, but with excess material still in place. A second pass may be used for removing the excess material. Controller 130 may move Intermediate Stone 210 completely in and out of lap, and may feed Intermediate Stone 210 more slowly while cutting to produce Gemstone 220.

FIG. 3 illustrates a Multiphase Cutting process according to one embodiment. At Adjust Initial Feed Rate 310, Controller 130 may be adjusted to feed Rough Stone 100 against a lap wheel. By adjusting the pressure used to push the stone against the wheel, cutting speed may be controlled. Adjusting Initial Oscillation 320 may determine which parts of the lap wheel are used to cut the stone. Rough Stone 100 may be cut by holding it in one place while the lap wheel spins, but moving the stone in and out may allow more even wear on the lap wheel, and more efficient cutting. Make Rough Cut 330 may use the initial feed rate and initial oscillation to get the rough stone cut to an approximation of the desired final shape, but leaving approximately 10% of excess material for an additional cut, giving Intermediate Stone 210. Adjust Feed Rate 340 may involve reducing a feed rate to allow for a finer cut to be made when approaching the final gemstone cut. The adjusted feed rate may be approximately one-tenth to one-fifth of the initial feed rate. Adjust Oscillation 350 may involve setting a wider oscillation than the initial oscillation, so that the gemstone moves completely on and off the lap wheel. This may provide consistent stone dimensions despite lap wheel irregularities. Final Cut 360 may be made, giving Gemstone 220.

While the detailed description above has been expressed in terms of specific examples, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many other configurations could be used. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that various equivalent modifications of the above-described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A method of cutting a gemstone, comprising: removing a majority of material from a stone using a first feed rate and a first oscillation setting; and removing a remaining material from the stone using a second feed rate and a second oscillation setting, the second feed rate being lower than the first feed rate, and the second oscillation setting giving a larger oscillation than the first oscillation setting.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cutting is performed by a robot.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second feed rate is between one-tenth and one-fifth of the first feed rate. 